Walker Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm passing it along to you straight. Out here in Angelina County, there's a stretch of country they've called Red Land, or Redland, for a long time. The name comes from that red soil ridge sitting right at the center of the community.

Red land, red ridge, and a story that goes back further than most people stop to wonder about. In 1846, a man named Thomas R. Walker came into that country all the way from North Carolina.

He put down roots. In 1851, he married Emily Z. Briscoe, and together they farmed and raised their children on their homestead right there in that red-soiled corner of east Texas.

Walker wasn't a man who kept a low profile, either. He served as county sheriff, and later as county judge, and he was a member of the local Masonic lodge. By any measure, he was woven deep into the fabric of that place.

Now here's where the story gets interesting, and I want you to hold this detail. When Walker died in 1877, he was buried in this cemetery. But the cemetery did not begin with him.

Not even close. Walker had purchased the land back in 1858, and the burial ground was already established before that deed ever changed hands. It was known as Red Land Cemetery, and it had been in use for decades before Walker himself was laid to rest there.

One of the early marked graves belongs to Nathaniel S. Abney, who died in 1855. He was the young son of a settler named Paul C.

Abney. Think on that. 1855. People were already burying their dead here, already marking their grief in this ground, years before Walker even owned the property.

Then comes March of 1892. Walker's widow deeded part of the cemetery land to community trustees. And at that same time, a man named J.

W. Chamblee deeded another portion, bringing the whole plot to three acres. More acreage came in the twentieth century, growing the burial ground to the size it holds today.

A cemetery association keeps it now. And the name it carries today is the Tom Walker Cemetery. Not Red Land Cemetery anymore, even though the red ridge is still right there.

It holds, as the marker puts it, the history of this early east Texas community and its people. A place that was already old when Walker arrived, already full of memory when he was born, and still standing long after the last deed was signed. That's the kind of ground that doesn't forget a thing.

What the marker says

This part of Angelina County has long been called Red Land, or Redland, for the red soil ridge that forms the center of the community. In 1846, Thomas R. Walker moved into the area from North Carolina. In 1851, he wed Emily Z. Briscoe, and the couple farmed and reared their children on their homestead. Walker served as county sheriff and county judge, and was a member of the local Masonic lodge. Upon his death in 1877, Walker was buried in this cemetery, which had been established before he purchased the land in 1858. Originally known as Red Land cemetery, this burial ground was in use for decades before Walker was buried here. One early marked grave is that of Nathaniel S. Abney (d. 1855), the young son of settler Paul C. Abney. In March 1892, Walker's widow deeded part of the cemetery land to community trustees. At this same time, J. W. Chamblee deeded another portion, making it a three-acre plot. Additional acreage was acquired in the 20th century, increasing the burial ground to its current size. Maintained by a cemetery association, the Tom Walker Cemetery, as it is known today, holds the history of this early east Texas community and its people. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2003